Monday, April 18, 2011

Green Projects for Earth Day: Envelope Lining Tutorial

In honor of Earth day approaching (April 22nd), I thought I would show some green project ideas. Today, we will be looking at recycling paper odds and ends into envelope liners. It's easy to do, and makes a big impact on an formerly ordinary envelope. Here's how you do it:

Start with an envelope and piece of cardstock. Trace around the envelope. I use up all my crazy colors of paper when I need to make a template. That way I'm not wasting the good ones, you know? You will cut about an inch off along the bottom to leave room for the gummed area of the envelope.

Next, choose what paper you will be lining your envelope with. Here, I have ripped a page from a medical dictionary I found at a yard sale for 25 cents. Trace around your template, and cut it out.

Put the paper in place, leaving room for the gummed portion of the envelope. If you cover that up, it won't seal. Peel the paper back and use a glue stick around the edge and under the crease of the envelope flap. (This is important because you don't want the lining to come loose should someone open their letter by ripping along the seam.) I use a glue stick instead of liquid glue because it prevents the glue from bleeding through and making the paper appear lumpy.

Voila, a professional looking envelope with very little effort!

This one I lined with a piece of sheet music. I love this look!

Here I used a page from an atlas. I am always thinking of things in terms of, "How can I rip that apart, and use it in my stationery?" Scrapbook paper can be expensive. One page can cost upwards of a buck, but an entire atlas at Walmart costs around $6, and has hundreds of pages. See what I mean?

We Can Do It Girls

I am the wife of a sailor, and the mommy of three sweet little boys. I love crafting, especially with paper. Check out my Etsy shops at www.dragonflypapers.etsy.com and www.vintagescrap.etsy.com. Both shops are 100% not-for-profit. All of the proceeds benefit a missionary family serving orphans and homeless in El Salvador. See www.keafamily.org for more info. Thanks for stopping by!